Baggage Claim (2013)

Movies that cater to a largely black audience doesn't in and of itself make it either good or bad, but this movie is insanely terrible. Many of the actors are really good and its unfortunate they have to accept these parts. Just about everything in this movie is some stereotype of white and black people, centered around a girl as a flight attendant, which is also incredibly exaggerated. Now some poor, ignorant girl with no education is going to think she should get a job like this and live an interesting life in search of a wonder man. I have known many flight attendants and TURST ME, very few, if any, of them lead a life like this. Its low pay, hard hours, terrible hotels, boring layovers, crews don't have any fun, passengers are nasty and treat you like a slave, and its an altogether sucking job that takes the life right out of you. The ones left doing it is because they have nothing else better they can do and are just stuck there. However, the movie is light hearted and silly.

"Baggage Claim" is so archaic in its depiction of feminine self-worth—and, frankly, so insulting—it's amazing that it's coming out in 2013, not 1963. It's also the second movie opening this week in which attractive, vibrant people pushing 30 must find spouses within a totally arbitrary and impossibly tight time frame in order to please their demanding parents. While "Baggage Claim" takes place within a black family in Baltimore, "Wedding Palace" is set in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles. It's a small world after all, sadly. Paula Patton, however, is a serious globetrotter as a perky and perfectly coiffed flight attendant named Montana Moore. Not only does she have the obligatory sassy best friend (Jill Scott) who's armed with innuendos and in-your-face cleavage, Montana also has the no- nonsense, no-filter gay pal (Adam Brody) who will always set her straight. Both fly the friendly skies alongside her. Their mile-high chatter is mostly mind-numbing, but Brody gets a few funny lines. Montana also has a childhood buddy named William Wright—please take note of that last name—who lives down the hall from her. Might the man of her dreams have been right under her nose all along? Even the likable and charismatic Derek Luke can't do much with such formulaic nonsense. But Luke is one of the astonishing array of attractive actors that writer-director David E. Talbert serves up as a smorgasbord of possible suitors. The greatest tension Talbert achieves in clumsily adapting his same-named novel comes from the conundrum of whether Montana should live a life of luxury and excitement alongside a dashing hotel magnate (Djimon Hounsou), or a life of safety and serenity with Luke, who runs his family's construction business. There's never any doubt. Come on, you've seen a movie before, right? Before she can get there, though, she and her co-workers manipulate the travel booking system to allow her to stalk various exes by "accidentally" showing up on their flights. You see, her younger sister (Lauren London) has just gotten engaged, which inspires their much- married mother (Jenifer Lewis) to exert even more pressure on Montana to find a man of her own. Naturally, she only has 30 days to accomplish this feat, because that makes sense, and it's a good, round number. Montana just discovered that the one she thought was The One (Boris Kodjoe, with whom she shares an unintentionally hilarious love scene on a boat) is actually married with a baby on the way. Nevertheless, she throws herself headlong into this wacky endeavor, which entails dashing through airports and flailing her arms, her roller board suitcase skipping on the ground behind her. Aside from her looks and her childhood love of New Edition, Montana's obsessive pursuit of a mate is pretty much the only thing that defines her as a character. Among other previous boyfriends, she reconnects with a flashy record producer (Tremaine Neverson, better known as Trey Songz) and a dude she rejects apparently because he doesn't know how to use chopsticks. Cue the hackneyed bad-date montage. (There's also the trying- on-clothes montage. Talbert leaves no rom-com cliché unturned.) The best part of "Baggage Claim," if such a thing is possible, is the section in which Montana quickly rekindles an old romance with Langston (Taye Diggs), a slick opportunist who's running for Congress and needs the perfect trophy wife to stand dutifully—and quietly—by his side. The fact that he's a black Republican sets up an awkward dinner with a deep-pockets donor (Ned Beatty) as well as the film's only truly funny lines. There aren't many, but man, does it feel good to laugh again

I personally think what makes the film rather enjoyable to watch is that Paula Patton is sure rye candy indeed. However I am not sure if comedy is a natural aspect for her since she is good at the romantic aspects but the comedy seems a kith or forced, however I would say that the movie belongs to Jill Scott who plays Montana Moores man hungry friend gale as a pure scene stealer and Adam Brody as the gay flight attendant sam. Jennifer Lewis is also rather hilarious as Montana's mother Catherine who can be rather overbearing towards her daughter. I do wish that certain characters like trey songz Damon diesel and Tia Mowrys Janine were fleshed out more since their characters a poser on screen too briefly,

This was a really good movie. Go see the movie and don't let any negative opinions color your decision for the movie. The love story was beautiful and it just kept you laughing throughout the movie. From beginning to end it was funny. It was a real love story compared to a lot of other so called black love stories. There was no "aww he hits me and I still love him", or "baby mama or daddy drama". It was almost like a fairy tale. The movie had magic to it. This is something that I would love to see from more of our African American movies. I honestly don't know why the rating is so low. Well I have an idea, one that I'd rather not go into, but the movie was excellent. Please go to see it. Well done Mr.Talbert.